From beyond our shores: Travel Literature in Irish

I gcomparáid le Michael Palin abair nó Alan Whicker, scríbhneoir taistil agus craoltóir den scoth sa dá theanga é an fánaí fiáin Manchán Magan. Tá scannánú déanta aige san India, sa Mheánoirthear, i Meiriceá, sa Ghraonlainn agus sa tSín. Agus é ag cur síos ar a leabhar Angels and Rabies: A Journey through the Americas dúirt Gerry Ryan gurb é a bhí ann ná 'a cross between Joseph Conrad and Frank Zappa.' Thug Alan Titley an-mholadh don leabhar Manchán ar Seachrán: ó Bhaile átha Cliath go Nairobi i seanleoraí, leabhar a dhúisíonn mistéir agus scaoll na hAfraice. Thug an tIrish Times ardmholadh don leabhar An Bóthar go Santiago le Micheál de Barra, leabhar machnamhach ar bhóthar na hoilithreachta go Santiago de Compostela, an tsiúlóid bheannaithe is cáiliúla san Eoraip. Iar-oifigeach airm é Frank Reidy agus ina leabhar ó Chósta go Cósta tugann sé timpeall chósta na Céinia sinn i ndabha, bád traidisiúnta, tugann cuairt ar mhamó Barack Obama agus faigheann sé amach i dtaobh stair chasta bhrónach na tíre. Tugann sé cuairt ar Ruanda chomh maith, féachaint conas tá ag éirí leo i ndiaidh an chinedhíothaithe. Leabhar taistil, leabhar staire agus leabhar polaitíochta. Sa bhliain 2003 d'fhág Alan Desmond Éire chun a bheith ag teagasc in Ollscoil Chaitliceach Lublin agus tugann Seal sa Pholainn sinn go dtí croí na tíre sin, conas mar a mhúnlaigh an Caitliceachas, an Dara Cogadh Domhanda agus teip an chumannachais an náisiún agus an pobal.

Léifidh na scríbhneoirí as a gcuid saothar i gcomhluadar Michael Cronin, teangeolaí agus criticeoir a bhfuil spéis ar leith aige sa litríocht taistil.

Compared to Michael Palin and Alan Whicker, ‘Global Nomad’ Manchán Magan is a first-class travel writer and broadcaster in both English and Irish. He has filmed in India, the Middle East, America, Greenland and China. His book Angels and Rabies: A Journey through the Americaswas described by Gerry Ryan as ‘a cross between Joseph Conrad and Frank Zappa’. Manchán ar Seachrán: ó Bhaile átha Cliath go Nairobi i seanleoiraí airm was praised by Alan Titley for its brilliant evocation of the ‘mystery and terror’ of Africa. Mícheál de Barra's An Bóthar go Santiagowas hailed in the Irish Times as a ‘beautifully written meditation on the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Europe's most famous pilgrim walk’. In ó Chósta go Cósta, former Irish  army officer Frank Reidy  sails around the Kenyan coast in a traditional dhow, visits Barack Obama’s grandmother, and learns about the country’s complicated and tragic history. He also returns to Rwanda to see how they are progressing in the years following genocide. This is a travel book, a history book, and a book of politics. In 2003, Alan Desmond left Ireland to teach at the Catholic University of Lublin, and in Seal sa Pholainn he takes the reader on a probing journey to the heart of modern Poland, exploring how Catholicism, the Second World War, and the fall of communism have shaped the nation and its people.

Tonight these writers will read from their and talk about their travels in the company of writer, linguist and critic Michael Cronin, in an event that promises to spellbind its audience.

This event is kindly supported by IMRAM